ESPN analyst slams Giants for extending Joe Schoen

The New York Giants are having quite an eventful offseason while the rest of the NFL remains quiet. Jaxson Dart introduced President Trump at a Rockland County rally, and Abdul Carter had some things to say. Malik Nabers’ injury rehab is only leaving questions, Odell Beckham Jr may be coming back, and John Harbaugh is at the center of it all. Meanwhile, the Giants signed Joe Schoen to a contract extension no one saw coming. It’s that move, says ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, that is New York’s worst of the offseason.

“The Giants got this one in at the last second, as they signed their general manager to a new deal last week. It comes after Schoen’s role in the front office was reportedly a sticking point in negotiations between the Giants and new head coach John Harbaugh, who now has final say in personnel while reporting directly to ownership,” Barnwell opined.

The ESPN analyst goes on to highlight the poor drafting as one of the many reasons Schoen did not deserve a contract extension. They took Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal in Schoen’s first draft, but effectively replaced both of them in the top 10 this year. Even with Harbaugh reporting directly to ownership, Schoen sticks around.

This is not a new situation in the NFL. George Paton was the GM when the Denver Broncos hired Sean Payton, who reports directly to ownership. Paton stuck around to keep the continuity in the front office while Payton changed things on the sideline. That has worked out in Denver, as they were the number one seed in the AFC last year.

The Giants have a lot of hype around them this year, but it has been a bizarre spring in East Rutherford. Will they overcome it and win games under Harbaugh this fall?